Open Campsite run in

[Kayan]

9, fall 514 Kayan walked with her trusted companion strutting along beside her and her hunting supplies in her arms. A shovel and crossbow were being balanced between her arms and she decided that on the way home, she was tying it to Snyder's back. The young girl found it strange how warm it was when just a few days earlier the weather made her think it was going to be freezing all season, not that she was going to complain about it. She shifted her supplies around to tug on the hunter's leash when he started charging ahead and growling at something she couldn't see yet. He backed down and walked near her side after she called his name with some warning in her voice, but he the low rumble from his throat continued. The young kelvic couldn't blame the hound for being a bit tense, they didn't go this way very often when hunting. Kayan herself didn't like this side of Mirahil Pass, mostly because this was where the larger animal settled and she didn't have anything that could take them down. Well, at least until she had bought a crossbow. The young girl had nearly no idea how to use it, probably had no aim, and didn't know where hitting a deer would injure or kill them. But, she did have her tracking abilities and could probably find her stray bolts. Snyder just had to find some droppings and tracks, then keep quiet while she went to work.... so this hunt was going to be her most failed attempt since way back when Kayan tried to catch a rabbit with her bare hands. The thought didn't dissuade her, though. She still had her traps to set up, after all. The girl's eyes moved down to her companion, still growling at something in the distance. She was still sure it was nothing, there weren't many predators that would brave the wrath of angry or scared citizens. She stayed alert none-the-less, if not for her own sake than for the well being of her friend. Soon enough she heard a whine and the pressing of hooves on the ground. From her time watching travelers and merchants passing through, she could already tell it was a horse. Now the real question was whether it was wild or with its person. True, there shouldn't be wild horses running through the forest, but she didn't know if it wasn't possible or not. Maybe she could just take a quick peek at it? If it was with someone, she'll just leave it alone. If not, she could watch it for a while. Her only problem would be Snyder trying to chase the thing off, but Kayan was sure she could keep him calm until she was ready to go. Her head peeked from behind one of the trees before she saw the horse set with a saddle and tied to a tree so it wouldn't wander off. Near by was a large tent that looked immensely more comfortable than what she imagined a tent would be like. She had always imagined some pitifully then sheet that couldn't do much more than keep out rain and wind. Her attention moved back to the horse and she looked around briefly - making sure she didn't see anyone out and about - before moving towards it. The stallion didn't seem to acknowledge her until it heard Snyder's growling. Kayan sent him a hissed "shush!" before continuing to walk closer. She slowly put down her supplies to keep the animal from being startled, then stood and started petting its neck softly, "Hey ya big guy, bet it sucks being tied up like this, huh?" The response was a snort and a hoof grazing against the ground a few times. She looked around again before moving over to her kit and taking out an apple, rolling it over to the horse and pausing when she hear a noise nearby that sent Snyder back to growling.

[Yuri Lehrer]

Yuri awoke with a start, the faint memory of a nightmare clinging at the edges of his awareness, as he tried to remember what the dream had been about, he got up from where he had been sleeping to discover that it hadn’t been in his tent as per usual, but rather in a clearing he had been practicing his swordsmanship in the previous night. As the details of the training regimen which caused him to end up where he was began flooding into his mind, Yuri looked around the clearing, trying to figure out how far he was from his campsite I can’t be that far away, can I? His head, still a little clouded from the sleep he had just arisen from, began directing him towards the direction it believed his camp to be in.

After a few moments, Yuri realised that he hadn’t eaten since his lunch on the previous day, a fact he was reminded of every couple of minutes by the growling his stomach produced, it made him all the more eager to get back to his camp and eat a meal. After a short while, Yuri realised that he had been heading in the wrong direction, and altered his course so that he was heading towards his camp instead of away, his pace hastened by his hunger. For a few minutes, Yuri found himself accompanied by the growling of his stomach, something he wished would leave him in peace, instead of announcing its presence constantly.

When he found himself approaching his campsite, Yuri stopped for a brief moment, not entirely sure why, until he looked over at his horse, Theophanes, his mount seemed somewhat uneasy, his hoof beating against the ground several times, a sign Yuri had taken to understand that there was someone or something in the area he didn’t know. Grateful for having taken his cloak with him yesterday to train, Yuri decided to try to move around his campsite to get a better view of who or what had made his horse react as he did, drawing the hood over his head and placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, he began slowly walking through the shadows at the edge of the clearing, stopping when he heard a growling, likely a domesticated dog Is it lost? Or is its owner here as well? Deciding that the stealthy approach would no longer work, Yuri made himself known, stepping from the shadows and throwing back the hood of his cloak and speaking in a neutral tone at the person he couldn’t yet see “Excuse me, but I do believe that you have entered my campsite, and your dog appears to have made my horse uneasy… could you please reveal yourself so I am not speaking to thin air?” Adding on the question to hopefully learn who had entered his campsite, and whether they had any sort of malicious intent or reason for being there.

[Kayan]

Kayan hung her head with an aggravated shake, "Dang it, Snyder." she moved away from the tree and put herself in plan view while her large dog barked at the stranger. She let out a high-pitched whistle, usually enough to make the black furred canine scuttle over to her, but instead he took a few steps towards her and settled to lay in a spot between where she and the man stood. At least she got him to stop barking and growling, but she wasn't sure how close Snyder would let the human get to her before attempting to do something violent. Well, if the man wasn't smart enough to keep his distance with a dog that size near by, then as far as she was concerned his mauling wouldn't be her problem. She cleared her throat and looked at the man with a steady gaze, her voice equally as flat as his, "Hello, we didn't mean to both you or your horse. I just dropped something that rolled into your camp." she walked towards the apple that had rolled just a few inches out of the bound animal's reach and a look flashed along her face as though she were resisting the urge to pet the large animal's neck. She blinked, then forced her expression back to that of a neutral yet slightly annoyed one. The young girl only then remembered that she was still holding her knife, though hidden under her cloak, and took a moment to silently debate whether or not she should slice a piece off the fruit she was holding like she was originally planning to. Instead she rubbed the dirt off her apple with the edge of her cloak and started walking back to the satchel left on the ground that held all her other supplies. While putting the red fruit back and setting the bag on her shoulders she called for Snyder to follow. When he didn't, she walked back to him and snapped her fingers to try and make him follow. When it looked like he wasn't going to move, she grabbed onto his leash and started tugging... which turned to pulling... which turned into a pathetic attempt at dragging, "Come on, you dumb mutt!" At the moment, it seems like she's forgotten all about the man standing not too far off.